The second act of the state's wildflower show is definitely worth waiting for. Here are some of the stars area plant scouts are seeing this fall:

Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)

Multiple 3-inch blooms cluster on stems like individual flower arrangements on the plant named for German explorer Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied.

Birds enjoy the seeds, and cows and deer feed on the plants, which can reach 10 feet high.

Gayfeather (Liatris elegans)

The purple-pink hue of gayfeather bloom is a striking contrast with more common yellow flowers. The plumes of purple stand like slender purple bottlebrushes, and they last well as cut flowers.

Sun-loving gayfeather blooms in September and October in dry, rocky areas. The flowers attract butterflies and grow 1 to 4 feet high.

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

Hold your sneezes and your calls. Goldenrod looks much like the allergy villain ragweed, but it's not to blame for sniffles and itchy eyes.

Tiny golden flowers mass in plumes of gold on stalks that vary from 1 to 7 feet tall, depending on the variety and the location. The many species of goldenrod attract birds and butterflies, and they grow in most types of soil.

Frostweed (Verbesina virginica)

Small white flowers form large clusters on the 3- to 5-foot-high stems of frostweed. It grows in shaded areas.

The blooms, which appear August through November, are an important nectar source for migrating monarchs and other butterflies.

At first frost, the sap in the stems freezes and bursts into tiny ice sculptures. The spectacular show is one worth rising early for.

Broomweed (Amphiachyris dracunculoides)

Broomweed blooms are tiny, but their numbers are mighty as they paint pastures a vivid yellow. Multibranched bushy plants grow atop a thick stem, looking like a broom turned upside down. The plants, which reach 2 to 3 feet high, grow mostly in heavy clay soils.

Most of the leaves drop before the half-inch flowers appear September through December.

Prairie or marsh fleabane (Erigeron modestus)

With fringy petals and yellow centers, fleabane flowers look much like the many species of aster blooming now. Some flowers might have a hint of lavender or pink, especially on petal tips. The plant grows in sunny spots in gravelly or rocky areas.

Its form changes with the seasons, beginning upright in spring then sprawling in fall.

Tropical sage (Salvia coccinea)

Brilliant red flowers on tropical sage are beacons for hummingbirds and butterflies. Spikes of flowers stand on stems that reach 3 feet high.

It will tolerate shade but blooms best in sun.

Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans)

Like many grasses in fall, Indian grass forms plumelike seed heads that look especially showy as they sway in the wind. The clumping grass grows in a variety of soils. Its deep yellow plumes, which reach 3 to 8 feet high, appear in September and October.

Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)

The cheerful 1-inch white flowers with yellow centers shine against deep green foliage. The mounding plants, which are about a foot high, pop up in rocky areas.

Blackfoot daisy blooms spring through fall and makes a good container or border plant in the home landscape.